Pronunciation of "realize"

Question

Is pronouncing "realize" as ('re@laIz) posh or just a variant? I understand only posh people say ('re@li) for "really", but I've no idea whether the same goes for "realize" as well. I have a hunch it does, since that pronunciation isn't recorded in any dictionary I've perused.
Bye, FB

"The doctors found out that Bunbury could not live, that is what I mean¡Xso Bunbury died."
"He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians." ("The Importance of Being Earnest", Oscar Wilde)

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FB wrote on 22 Nov 2004:
[nq:1]Is pronouncing "realize" as ('re@laIz) posh or just a variant? I understand only posh people say ('re@li) for "really", but ... for "realize" as well. I have a hunch it does, since that pronunciation isn't recorded in any dictionary I've perused.[/nq]
I don't know if the "realize" pronunciation is posh or not, but those of us who enunciate as clearly as possible tend to sound out all the syllables in most words. Perhaps that's because I've been teaching EFL/ESL for so long.
I think the "really" pronunciation varies according to whether the speaker is into spelling-pronunciation (3 syllables) or not (2 syllables). I usually say (ri li), or something close to that. I'm not a posh speaker.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor
For email, replace numbers with English alphabet.

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[nq:1]I'm not a posh speaker.[/nq]
Nonsense! Of the several AUErs who (= TCE "that") have recorded their speech and made available said recordings, yours seemed to me to be the closest (other than mine) to Postwar New York Prestige Standard(TM), which is by definition the poshest AmE accent.

Steny '08!

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[nq:1]Is pronouncing "realize" as ('re@laIz) posh or just a variant? I understand only posh people say ('re@li) for "really", but ... for "realize" as well. I have a hunch it does, since that pronunciation isn't recorded in any dictionary I've perused.[/nq]
I think it's just a matter of dialectal variation without poshness implications. Some people put a schwa between an (i) and an (l) and others don't. I don't.
I think three-syllable "realize" is common in sung Post-Suez speech.

Steny '08!

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[nq:1]FB wrote on 22 Nov 2004:[/nq]
[nq:2]Is pronouncing "realize" as ('re@laIz) posh or just a variant? ... since that pronunciation isn't recorded in any dictionary I've perused.[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't know if the "realize" pronunciation is posh or not, but those of us who enunciate as clearly as ... syllables) or not (2 syllables). I usually say (ri li), or something close to that. I'm not a posh speaker.[/nq]
It used to be a mark of a 'common' speaker in BrE written dialogue to make them say "Oh, reely!" or "Oh, reely?". If one wants to speak spoof posh one can say "realair" in a rhyming four syllables (or thereabouts - the last being non-rhotic).

Paul
In bocca al Lupo!

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[nq:2]Is pronouncing "realize" as ('re@laIz) posh or just a variant? ... since that pronunciation isn't recorded in any dictionary I've perused.[/nq]
[nq:1]I think it's just a matter of dialectal variation without poshness implications. Some people put a schwa between an (i) and an (l) and others don't. I don't.[/nq]
I thought you did, or am I getting confused with /el/ words, like "fail"?

But anyway, "realise" is different. For me /i/ does become (i@) before /l/, but usually only if the /l/ isn't followed by a vowel: "feel" (fi@l), "feeling" (filIN(g)), "field" (fi@ld), "deal" (di@l), "dealer" (dil@r)
(The same thing happens to /e/: "sail" (se@l), "sailing" (se:lIN(g)))

However "really" and "realise" are two syllable words, with the "theatre"/"idea"/"vehicle" diphthong (which is very similar to the (i@) allophone of /i/) in their first syllables: "really" (rI@lI), "realise" (rI@laIz).
This may suggest that I distinguish "reel" and "real", but I'm not convinced that I do.
Jonathan

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[nq:1]understand[/nq]
[nq:2]I think it's just a matter of dialectal variation without ... an (i) and an (l) and others don't. I don't.[/nq]
[nq:1]I thought you did, or am I getting confused with /el/ words, like "fail"?[/nq]
Hmm. Now I'm confused. I guess I do have a schwa in "real" and "rail", but it's not the same sort of schwa that I have in "rile", which is almost enough to create a separate syllable. But I don't know from what a syllable is.
[nq:1]But anyway, "realise" is different. For me /i/ does become (i@) before /l/, but usually only if the /l/ isn't followed by a vowel: "feel" (fi@l), "feeling" (filIN(g)), "field" (fi@ld), "deal" (di@l), "dealer" (dil@r) (The same thing happens to /e/: "sail" (se@l), "sailing" (se:lIN(g)))[/nq]
I don't say (ri laIz) ("ree-lize"), so perhaps I say (ri@l aIz), but I think the OP was speaking of (ri @ laIz). I dunno.
[nq:1]However "really" and "realise" are two syllable words, with the "theatre"/"idea"/"vehicle" diphthong (which is very similar to the (i@) allophone of /i/) in their first syllables: "really" (rI@lI), "realise" (rI@laIz).[/nq]
I believe that this is true for me too.
I've heard some Americans say "really" as (ri li) ("ree-lee"), whereas I say "real-ee". This is like the "zero" discussion (SparkE "zee-row", PNYPS "zeer-oh").

Steny '08!

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[nq:2]I think it's just a matter of dialectal variation without ... between an (i) and an (l)and others don't. I don't.[/nq]
[nq:1]I thought you did, or am I getting confused with /el/ words, like "fail"? But anyway, "realise" is different. For ... "really" (rI@lI), "realise" (rI@laIz). This may suggest that I distinguish "reel" and "real", but I'm not convinced that I do.[/nq]
In my version, which is usually bog-standard RP near enough the news-reading kind, a bit old-fashioned but not hyper-posh, "really" and "realize" are certainly three-syllable words. I'd identify (ri:li:) and (ri:laIz) as non-standard. "Theatre" the same.

I think I generally pronounce "reel" (ri:@l), the same as "real"; but the @ in my "reel" gets weaker (perhaps it actually vanishes: I'm not sure) in certain positions. (ri:l) for "reel", though, strikes me as standard in, e.g. Celtic Englishes.
Mike.

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[nq:2]Is pronouncing "realize" as ('re@laIz) posh or just a variant? ... since that pronunciation isn't recorded in any dictionary I've perused.[/nq]
[nq:1]I think it's just a matter of dialectal variation without poshness implications. Some people put a schwa between an (i) and an (l) and others don't. I don't.[/nq]
I wrote ('****@laIz). I understand posh speakers say (or said) rare-ly, so I wonder if "rare-lyze" is also posh.
Bye, FB

"Something to take to the country." (holding out a bunch of flowers) "Flowers come from the country, Charles."
(Cold Comfort Farm, the film)

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Areff wrote on 22 Nov 2004:
[nq:2]I'm not a posh speaker.[/nq]
[nq:1]Nonsense! Of the several AUErs who (= TCE "that") have recorded their speech and made available said recordings, yours seemed to me to be the closest (other than mine) to Postwar New York Prestige Standard(TM), which is by definition the poshest AmE accent.[/nq]
Oh. Okay. I wasn't aware of that. It must be all those distinctions we make in vowels, then. If clarity is posh, then I'm guilty and pleased to be guilty.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor, and speaker of posh AmE For email, replace numbers with English alphabet.

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[nq:2]I'm not a posh speaker.[/nq]
[nq:1]Nonsense! Of the several AUErs who (= TCE "that") have recorded their speech and made available said recordings, yours seemed to me to be the closest (other than mine) to Postwar New York Prestige Standard(TM), which is by definition the poshest AmE accent.[/nq]
Not Larchmont Lockjaw?

Pronunciation of "realize"

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